Cosmetic formulations are more important to consumers than you might think:

A survey found 72% of consumers want brands to explain what ingredients do, 42% feel they don’t get enough info about ingredient safety.

Another study showed that 90% of consumers prefer natural ingredients.

What This Guide Covers

But don’t worry, cosmetic formulations are not as complicated as they seem!

With this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of cosmetic formulations. We’ll cover everything from fundamental concepts to case studies and practical steps, all broken down in a way that’s simple to understand.

Whether you’re a newbie or ready to dive deeper, we’ve got everything you need to know.

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• Ingredients 101: What goes into Cosmetic Products?
• Case Studies: Analyzing Popular Cosmetics
• Step-by-Step Guide: Cosmetic Formulation Process

Ingredients 101: What Goes into Cosmetic Products?

Let’s start by breaking down the most common and basic ingredients.

Becoming more knowledgeable about these ingredients will help you understand what goes into your products and empower you to make informed choices. 

1. Solvents 

Think of solvents as the base or the ‘mixing bowl’ in which the ingredients of a cosmetic product are united.

They play an essential role in dissolving ingredients.

For instance, they can help to break down color pigments or retinol, making them easy to blend with other components.

Water, oils, and alcohols are common solvents. For example, water is often used in creams, while oils are found in makeup. 

2. Emulsifiers 

Have you every tried to mix oil and water?

It’s not possible, right?

Emulsifiers are agents that help mix oil and water-based ingredients seamlessly. 

Products such as oils or balms may not require emulsifiers as they consist only of oil-based ingredients. Conversely, toners and gels are heavily water-based and thus may not need them either.

However, many cosmetic products including creams, lotions, and hair conditioners absolutely rely on the mixing abilities of emulsifiers.

3. Emollients 

If a product makes your skin feel smooth, it’s the emollients working their magic. They fill the gaps between skin cells, making it smoother.

Oils, esters, and fatty acids are types of emollients.

You’ll find them in moisturizers and lipsticks.

4. Preservatives 

They may not sound exciting, but preservatives are crucial.

They stop bacteria and mold from growing and increase the product’s shelf life.

Some common preservatives include parabens and sodium benzoate. 

5. Fragrances 

Fragrances can elevate your cosmetics, adding an alluring scent to your products.

However, fragrances aren’t just there to smell good.

They create an intimate connection with its user and increase the chance of a reorder.

6. Color Pigments

Color pigements are essential for all types of color cosmetics.

Color pigments are tiny particles that reflect and absorb light to produce different visual effects. In cosmetics, pigments can be both natural (like beetroot extract) or synthetic (made in a lab). 

They are essential to add the desired color to any product.

They also enhance the look of your products, making them look more aesthetic.

When you look at the Ingredients, you can easily spot most of them by the CI prefix.

7. Thickeners 

Thickeners provide stability to cosmetic formulations, improving their viscosity and texture.

This leads to a product with the desired consistency, whether it be a thick cream, a pourable lotion, or a solid stick. 

8. Absorbents

Absorbents, also known as mattifiers, are tasked with the job of absorbing excess facial oil, often lending their skills to products like oil-free moisturizers and matte lipsticks.

Beyond aesthetic appeal, mattifiers enhance product endurance on the skin, preventing makeup from sliding off due to heat or perspiration.

9. Fillers

Next up, we’ll talk about fillers.

Despite their simple name, fillers do more than just ‘fill’.

Fillers bulk up the feel of the product, give it a clean look on your skin, and even play a role in adjusting color.

Some even offer other added effects, like a matte finish or a little extra sparkle. 

10. Flavouring Agents

They’re a key component in lip products, giving that distinctive taste to your lipsticks and balms.

While they don’t play a functional role, flavoring agents enhance the sensory experience of the product.

11. Humectants

Humectants work by drawing moisture from the deeper layers of your skin or directly from the air to the surface.

You’ll mostly find humectants in products designed to boost hydration like moisturizers, creams, serums, and face masks.

Case Study 1: Nivea Face Creme

Let’s have an in-depth look at one of the industry’s staple products – Nivea Creme.

This well-known and beloved skincare solution is a paragon of effective formulation, offering an interesting case study for our exploration.

We’ll unpack the ingredients analyze the formulation:

• Solvent: Helps to dissolve other ingredients and make the overall cream easy to spread.
• Emollients: Soften the skin by sealing in moisture. They fill in gaps in dry skin, creating a smooth surface.
• Humectant: Attracting moisture to the skin, keeping it hydrated and helping it look plumper and healthier.
• Thickeners: Lend texture to the cream, making it soft and easy to apply. They also increase the stability of the formulation.
• Emulsifiers: Ensure all the other ingredients mix evenly and prevent the oil and water-based ingredients from separating.
• Fragrance: Gives the cream its pleasant scent, enhancing the sensory experience of using the product.
• pH adjuster: Balance the pH of the formulation, ensuring it’s safe and comfortable to apply to the skin.
• Preservatives: Preventing the growth of bacteria and fungi in the cream. This ensures the product lasts longer and doesn’t cause skin infections.

Case Study 2: MAC Lipstick

Next, let’s examine another example — MACs’ lipstick.

Even though it’s different from face cream, you’ll see they share some similarities.

Let’s have a look at the key components in a MAC lipstick:

• Emollients:These keep the lips feeling soft and smooth by sealing in moisture.
• Thickeners:These are important for giving the lipstick enough body and spreadability. 
• Absorbents:They help manage oil and shine on lips.
• Fillers:Used in lipstick to achieve a smooth, creamy texture.
• Preservatives:Keeps the lipstick safe from bacterial and fungal growth.
• Emulsifiers: Makes sure all ingredients mix well together without separating, providing a homogenous product.
• Flavors:Give a pleasant taste to the lipstick.
• Antioxidants:Protects lips from environmental stressors and also helps to keep the product fresh.
• Colors: Provide the range of colors you see in lipsticks.

Cosmetic Formulations: Step by Step

Creating a successful cosmetic formulation is, in essence, a step-by-step process that seamlessly blends science and market understanding.

Here’s a detailed walk-through of this process: 

Step 1: Project Briefing and Defining Important Key Metrics 

First and foremost, assembling a detailed project brief is vital.

Think of this as a blueprint for your vision.

Write down your desired texture, color, moisturizing capacity, and any other essential attributes.

Be crystal clear about your expectations for this product. Don’t leave anything to interpretation. And don’t forget to communicate to the manufacturer about your pricing objective (target price) for the product.

Step 2: Drawing Inspiration from Successful Products 

Having an existing product as a blueprint often provides a good starting point for new formulations. It acts as a rough benchmark, or you reengineer it 1to1. Either way, you can then change it according to your liking.

As per a report by Cosmetics Business, these successful products’ influence leads to consistent quality and innovative breakthroughs in new developments.

Step 3: Conception of Formulation 

Once the preliminary steps pave the way, formulators take over. They meticulously select and blend various ingredients like emollients, thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, and colors.

The goal is to precisely meet the project briefing’s outlined targets while maintaining quality and safety standards.

Step 4: Creating the first Sample

Now that the formulation of your chosen cosmetic product has been conceived, the exciting stage of actually creating that first sample begins.

This process is where the concept becomes a tangible reality.

Keep in mind, perfect cosmetic products, like Rome, aren’t built in a day.

The primary blend a manufacturer makes, influenced by popular products of a similar kind, isn’t the final product.

It’s merely the starting point for your product. 

Step 5: Sample Revision and Perfection 

There is typically only a limited number of free revisions set by the cosmetic manufacturer, so you have to make them count.

Use your senses — how does it feel when applied? Is the scent pleasing? How does it sit on the skin after some time?

Take detailed notes as you evaluate each characteristic.

As a formulator, it’s their responsibility to assure every aspect aligns with what the consumer wants. 

Once you’ve identified areas requiring improvement, communicate these with your manufacturer.

Be articulate and precise — use specific language and give clear directives.

Remember, vague feedback gets vague revisions, and that’s not something we can afford with a limited number of opportunities to get it right. 

Following this process, your manufacturer will revise the sample to meet your updated guidelines.

And then repeats the cycle — revise, perfect, and repeat. 

Step 6: Choose a Packaging

Packaging, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of cosmetics, can greatly affect a product’s success.

Many manufacturers opt for pre-existing packaging options for cost and convenience, with a wide variety of bottles, jars or tubes available.

The selection should align with a product’s size, price point and the compatibility of packaging materials with the cosmetic formulation.

Your packaging is the first point of contact with your customers, so let it make a good impression and mirror your brand image.

Step 7: Compatibility- and Stability Testing

Now, we’re ready to dive into the final integral phase of cosmetic formulation: ensuring the product’s stability and compatibility. 

During the compatibility test, the product is exposed to varying conditions, such as different levels of light, temperature fluctuations, and changes in moisture, to scrutinize how well the ingredients play together.

Signs of potential issues could include separation of components, alterations in the hue, or an unexpected change in texture. 

Stability testing is the checkpoint that guarantees the product’s quality longevity.

Here, the core aim is to assure us that our cosmetic product maintains its essential physical, chemical, and microbial characteristics intact throughout its lifespan, regardless of storage conditions or how it’s used. This involves examining parameters like pH level, viscosity, scent, color, and the efficiency of the preservatives within the mix.